Hyderabad: Questions are being raised regarding city police’s ‘excessive’ monitoring of areas in Hyderabad’s Old City. In a video that has surfaced of officials from the Balapur police station, they can be seen aggressively checking people and shooing away others who were simply sitting on the street late at night.
The police’s behavior is being questioned, especially since it is happening in the Old City, where people from the minority community are often profiled. Citizens are asking the need for such excessive policing and continuation of Mission Chabutra, especially given that an officer from Moghalpura was recently shunted out for thrashing the public for no reason.
In the video that has surfaced from Balapur, officials are seen randomly frisking people and are also questioning people for being out late at night. The police also recorded footage of individuals being checked who appeared visibly uncomfortable as they repeatedly tried to cover their faces.
In a separate incident in the same video, police were filmed shooing a man away with a stick as he sat on a footpath near his home. Another case shows two men sitting in front of a shop who, upon spotting the police, fled. The officers then chased them and inspected the vehicle parked in front of the shop.
Speaking to Siasat.com activist SQ Masood, he said, “Such incidents are grave violations of the right to live and dignity as they are photographing them and sharing it across social media.” He further mentioned that there is no prohibitory order stating you can’t sit outside after a said time. “There are discriminatory practices as they cannot do this exercise in Banjara Hills or other posh areas,” he added.
After the video surfaced, citizens questioned if Hyderabad police were violating the right to life, right to privacy, and right to liberty. They further argued that these are the fundamental rights given by the Supreme Court, and Hyderabad police ‘excessive’ monitoring seems to be violating their basic rights.
Earlier in July, a Moghalpura inspector used reprehensible language and was also thrashing the public in the Old City of Hyderabad. Following the complaint, disciplinary action was taken against him, and he was transferred out of the station. The officer, Durga Prasad, was seen needlessly thrashing the public—pedestrians and commuters—in the Old City.
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